do you remember where you were?

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Twelve years ago I was at Holy Angels School. I was sitting my my computer class, waiting for the time to pass. I was in the 6th grade. Right before the bell rang, teachers started to congregate towards the TVs, phones began to ring in the school, teachers were crying. Twelve years ago, the attacks on the USA happened. 19 terrorists from the Islamist extremist group, al-Qaeda, hijacked four commercial airplanes, deliberately crashing two of the planes into the upper floors of the North and South towers of the World Trade Center and a third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. The Twin Towers ultimately collapsed because of the damage sustained from the impacts and the resulting fires. After learning about the other attacks, passengers on the fourth hijacked plane, Flight 93, fought back, and the plane was crashed into an empty field in western Pennsylvania about 20 minutes by air from Washington, DC.

Twelve years ago, these attacks killed nearly 3,000 people from 93 nations. 2,753 people were killed in New York, 184 people were killed at the Pentagon and 40 people were killed on Flight 93. The fires from the initial impacts were only intensified by the planes’ burning jet fuel. These fires weakened the steel support trusses, which attached each of the floors to the buildings’ exterior walls. With the damage to the buildings’ structural columns, this ultimately caused both towers to collapse. Also destroyed, were the 5 other buildings within the WTC because of damage sustained when the Twin Towers fell. And the collapse of the buildings left the area devastated. It’s been an on going process with thousands of volunteers who went to Ground Zero to help with the rescue and the recovery and clean-up effort. Finally on May 30, 2002, the last of piece of WTC steel was ceremonially removed.

Today is a day of remembrance. This day is something we will never forget and it’s a day that made our Nation stronger. United we stand.

Some people are under the impression that if we talk about the anniversary of 9/11 on every September 111th, then the terrorists won– and I 110% completely disagree with this statement. The fact that we remember this monuments day in our history, not only as a people, but as a nation shows true to who we are. On this day twelve years ago, and every day since, we have come together as a people. Our nation did the exact opposite to what the al-Qaeda wanted. We joined together, and we didn’t back down.

Today is a day we will always remember, and we will never forget it. We must honor 911. They tried to divide us and pull us apart, but 12 years ago we came together and this made us stronger. Thank you to those who continuously fight to make our country the greatest in the world.